Sally Mauro will get a pre-school, but it will not happen this year

At the last regular session of the Carbon School Board it was discussed that with the change in the grade levels in the district (sixth grades will not be in middle school) Sally Mauro Elementary would have more room and that has been requested by many parents the district would be starting up a pre-school program there. At the time it looked as if that program would begin as early as this fall.

However, things have changed.

"We had a meeting a few days after the board meeting and found that putting a pre-school in operation at Sally Mauro that quickly posed some problems," said special programs supervisor Robert Cox in a phone interview on Thursday. "We are still going to do it, but it will not take place until the 2015-16 school year."

Cox explained that the change in direction was due to logistical and financial problems in putting the program together.

"First of all we can't apply for funds for it until after July 1," he said. "That sets us back a bit because there are things we need to order and take care of. We just don't see how the program could get setup correctly and going by the fall."

Sally Mauro is the only school in the district that does not have some kind of pre-school program set up for young children in the area. Bruin Point, Creekview and Wellington all have pre-school programs, with Wellington being available for the Castle Heights areas youngsters to attend. Sally Mauro Elementary just has not had physical room in it for such a program, the same reason that Castle Heights ends up with children from that area being sent to Wellington.

The burden on such a program has been alleviated to some degree because there has been a private pre-school in the Spring Glen area for years. However the person that is running that program is going to close the operation. That leaves no one providing a pre-school in the Helper to Carbonville area.

"We just want everyone to understand that this is not that we are saying no to the program," said Cox. "It is that we have to take some time to plan and get everything in order so it can be done right. It will open in the fall next year."